ALL data on C Drive Deleted including Windows Install-Failed To Boot

RolandJS · 24 Apr 2015

I have to leave work, when I get home -- I can research and give you some real good file/data recovery programs choices -- a few are free, some are not free. The Big Boys co$t some; however, a couple of freebies do quite well.

RolandJS · 24 Apr 2015

My point is NOT to sell you or to be a shrill for these tools, rather, my point is to let you know there are choices of several good data recovery programs. However, to my knowledge, none really offer a separate "folder" recovery function, only files recovery functions, partition recovery functions.

some free choices:
Wise Data Recovery
Piriform's Recuva
some pay-for choices:
ActivefileRecovery[demo].exe
EaseusDataRecoveryWizard[free=1GBlimit].exe
MiniToolpdrMediaBootBuilder.exe
MiniToolPowerDataRecovery68[Free1GBmax].exe
RestorerUltimate8[free=128KBlimit].exe
RStudioDataRecovery7.exe
RStudioFileUndelete4[free=64KBlimit].exe
StellarPhoenixWindowsDataRecoveryHome.exe

NateThug · 25 Apr 2015

I assume with a file recovery software I could get some of my files back but I need to install a program that requires me to boot windows. I am going to try to install Win 10 preview on a usb and then run the 2 programs I just mentioned. I will try the steps again. I tried to restore from registry backup but when I typed in
CD \windows\system32\config
it said the system cannot find the path specified. Thanks for all the help so far! Also I don't know if the files are still on the c drive because that partition was deleted. I will try what I put above.

EDIT: I just checked again and my c drive was turned into system reserved.
Here is a list of all the drives: C Drive: System Reserved
D Drive: Local Disc
X Drive: Boot

Just saw your post RolandJS. Would these work if the C drive got turned into system reserved as I mentioned?

gregrocker · 25 Apr 2015

I told you how to copy out your files, and you should have seen that step if you had been following the steps for Troubleshooting Windows 7 Failure to Start like you said you had done.

Instead you continue to ignore the steps that have helped everyone else rescue their files and get Win7 started, going off on your own to try things that have nothing to do with this while ignoring my help like I'm not even here.

There is no evidence shown yet that your Win7 install is not still there and intact so that you can browse in using the methods in Step 11 to rescue your files. Having an install not show up to repair when booting into repair utility does not mean that it is deleted, only that the repair utility doesn' t see it. This situation is specifically dealt with by Step 5.

You can try data recovery software but it is not at all indicated here yet, so don't pretend like you've tried everything else because from what I see you have not even started yet.

NateThug · 25 Apr 2015

Believe it or not I have tried your guide. I also tried step 5 with the Bootrec.exe tool and it did not work. And me listing other options is not "ignoring my help like I'm not even here". I tried to copy out my files but they were not there. I will try the steps again but I have already tried them and they did not help.

gregrocker · 25 Apr 2015

I don't know that you've done any of these things if you don't report back. No steps were interacted with or reported back upon, yet you asked how to rescue files which should have been seen in the Intro and in Step 11. You also asked what confirming Partition Marked Active means when it is discussed at length in the Step 1. So why would I think you actually did the steps when the Intro and most important Step 1 were obviously not completed?

Remember that the drive letters will not be the same in Boot Mode, so browse into each drive to try to find the User folders.

NateThug · 25 Apr 2015

Ok I will try to set the active partition. I am in command prompt and there are disk 0 and disk 1. Disk 0 has 465 GB size and 0 free. Disk 1 has 58 GB size and 0 free. Which one do I set as active? I am guessing the 465 gb one because that is the size of the hard drive and that is where windows is/was installed. Sorry for not reporting back.

EDIT: I went with the 465 gb one and now there are 5 partitions in it.
EDIT 2: There was no 100mb partition so I tried marking each partition active 1 by 1 and partition 1 (300 something mb) gave me a windows failed to boot error: Status: 0xc000000f, File: \Boot\BCD, Info: An error occurred while attempting to read the boot configuration data. All the other partitions said cannot find an os or an error like that I can't remember the exact error.

gregrocker · 25 Apr 2015

Please follow the tutorial to List partitions and confirm 100mb System Reserved is set Active.

RolandJS · 25 Apr 2015

gregrocker said:

All of that is contained in Troubleshooting Windows 7 Failure to Start which was clearly visible under the picture if you'd looked. You need to be thorough, read and observe closely to resolve these problems.

GregRocker said it best in his posts. My "last resports" can be a dangerous thing, 'cause they are a lot like fire-fighting -- the fire gets put out, but, the house may have suffered water damage and other effects from having the fire put out. Really thoroughly follow all of Greg's advice before venturing into data recovery programs.

NateThug · 26 Apr 2015

I have been searching google and I have tried these commands: (My windows folder is in x drive: boot but have tried x c and d for the drives.

bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
(bcdboot path to your windows folder) bcdboot d:\windows
bcdboot.exe c:\windows /l en-us
bcdboot c:\Windows /s c: /l en-us